Now, I never used to be the kind of person who got overly affected by the things I watched. But more and more I've become very empathic in my media watching. So when Erica started crying, I felt that twinge in my sinuses and that knot in my gut. I tried to hold out but I just couldn't do it. The scene was too long. The tears started coming.
This really bothered me. I don't want to be unfeeling, but I'd like to be in control of my bodily functions when watching a fictitious display of emotion. Crying is embarrassing, especially when you're watching a bad Canadian tv show that defies logic.
So I tried to make light of it and crack some lame joke about being female. I'm sure my husband was not alarmed; he's seen me cry many times. And every time I try to hide it or pretend it's not happening. Anyways, that got me thinking. Why do women cry in sympathy so easily? I mean, a really good tear-jerker will get anyone going, but women seem particularly prone to crying just because someone else is crying.
I Googled "contagious crying" and got a lot of hits about babies. Apparently they cry when others cry and it is notable enough to be dubbed a "phenomenon". Then I modified it to "contagious crying in women" and got even less helpful hits. Lots of forum-based opinions. On Yahoo answers, there was one particularly articulate answer that I liked,
its only if your really sensitive, or you just have a caring heartBecause of the complete lack of real, scientific pages in the first results, I'm going to stick with this one. I'm really sensitive, or just have a caring heart. So there we have it folks, the easier you cry in response to others crying, the better person you are. ;)
--grr
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